Of Stalkers and Detectives
by Redmobile
Summary: Between school, raising his neighbor's neglected kid, and dealing with a stalker; love is the last thing on Yukiteru's mind. Akise Aru, apparently, didn't get the message. AU
1. Chapter 1

There are people in this world who claim to love it best when it's raining outside. Those people are the ones who probably have a car and don't have to walk Yukiteru muses. It was pretty unlucky that the weather had to be so awful on grocery day, of all days, but that just seemed to be the way things worked for him.

The rain is heavy too; beating down on his thin umbrella harshly. The wait outside the Preschool seemed to take much longer when trying not to get yourself soaked. Yukiteru hesitantly shifted himself a little closer towards the steadily growing crowd of parents huddled under the arched roof the doors lay under.

Reisuke would be out soon. It wouldn't be long before the little boy came bouncing out the thin glass doors and threw himself into the teenaged boy's arms; just like every other day. He'd have to help put on little froggy raincoat before they began their trip to the store; it wouldn't be good if the four year old were to get sick.

The boy felt a shiver crawl down his spine; leaving a trail of goosebumps in their path. He shifted and pulled his jacket tighter around himself. Maybe it would be a good idea to make something warm for dinner tonight. Reisuke would probably enjoy some stew and maybe dessert.

He glanced towards the garden hedges surrounding the schoolground. The pleasantly pink flowers had begun their slow journey into wilting under the autumn cool. It wouldn't be long now before the petals were completely browned and crumbling. The heavy raindrops didn't help the poor things; causing some of the still healthy petals to collapse under the weight and fall to the ground. It was a hypnotic sight; almost therapeutic in a way.

The hedges shifted and Yukiteru felt another shiver. What was taking that Afterschool teacher so long?

He'd apparently didn't need to ask. While he was distracted by the flowers Reisuke had, apparently, been released from Afterschool care and made his way from the classroom and straight into a seemingly perfect opportunity to initiate a surprize hug on his babysitter's legs. Yukiteru looked at the absolutely pleased expression on the child's face and couldn't help but find it adorable. It was hard not to keep a smile on his face when Reisuke looked so cute wearing a little raincoat and smiling up at the older boy like that. Yukiteru hesitantly reached down and pat the child's head. "Hey Reisuke; how was school today?"

The toddler glanced up; his cute smile transforming into a smirk. "Too easy."

Yukiteru let the mild concern he felt at such an expression melt away; half used to such things from the child by now. He kneeled down a little and took the child's hand in his own. "That's nice. Are you ready to go grocery shopping?"

"Yea!" Reisuke cheered. The little boy pulled Yukiteru down the direction towards the closest store to their home. Probably eager to bully the burnet into buying him some candy. Though Yukiteru felt more inclined to prepare a nicer dessert for the boy tonight. Some pie would probably be good after stew.

Another shiver ran through the high schooler's spine. He threw a quick glance over his shoulder, but there was nothing there. Probably just rainy chill again. He should've worn a thicker jacket.

Yukiteru tightened his grip on Reisuke's hand and hastened his pace. They should get out of this rain as soon as possible; it couldn't be good for Reisuke to run around in this cold. How far away was the store from here? He studied the surrounding street; another corner or so and they'd be there. That's good; this rain was getting real bad.

A series of splashing sounds came from somewhere behind him before coming to a sudden stop. Someone must a dropped something in their rush to find shelter.

Yukiteru adjusted his umbrella and reached to wrap his, now somewhat free, hand around the four year old's waist and hoist him up. Reisuke gave a squeal of delight as the teenager sat the child on his hip; keeping his arm firmly around the child's waist. The hand Reisuke had been holding was promptly dropped in favor of Yukiteru's shoulder; leaving him free to grab the umbrella with it.

The store was in sight now. Another few steps and they'd be there.

Just another few steps.

Another few steps.

The sound of splashing footsteps sounded behind them again. Yukiteru ignored them; he had to get Reisuke inside. They needed to buy this week's groceries. They needed the ingredients for dinner tonight.

The glass doors opened as Yukiteru stepped on the blackpad. The young man let out of sigh of relief as he let Reisuke drop down from his hip. He took a moment to just stand there, right in front of the sliding glass doors, underneath the too bright lights, and let himself breathe. He fumbled with his umbrella trying to close the plastic mess with his shaky hands. He took a deep breath, trying to forcibly calm himself, but only sent his whole body into fidged jerks instead of the tiny tremblings.

He didn't know whether Reisuke was too distracted by the promises of the candy aisle or just chose to ignore his obviously distressed babysitter, but either way Yukiteru was thankful. He took another few more forceful breaths until his hands were still enough to work the umbrella closed. Satisfied, Yukiteru forced himself to step forward and out of the doorway. He lingered next to the umbrella rack, unsure if he should risk placing his own into the mix of wet fabrics, but ultimately deciding to dump it there and go grab Reisuke.

Stepping away from the rack and walking towards the candy displayed proudly at the first aisle; Yukiteru somehow managed to get his trembling body under enough control to keep Reisuke from asking about it. Instead the little boy glanced up at his approaching babysitter with the most hopeful expression any four-year-old could make.

"I was actually thinking of making something for dessert tonight." He placed a hand on top Reisuke's hood covered head and pretended to actually ruffle his hair.

The smile Reisuke gave his could've lit up a dark room, but then the smile faded as the child obviously thought up a flaw in their plan. "Mama and Papa will pick me up today."

Yukiteru had to fight a frown from forming. He knew well enough that it was unlikely that Reisuke's parents would even be home tonight; much less pick up their child. Just like yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that…

"Then I'll get you something _and_ make dessert tonight just incase." He smiled at the young boy; hoping to distract him from thoughts of his parents.

His plan seemed to have worked well. The blinding smile was suddenly back on the ginger's face and he threw his arms around the older boy in an adorable attempt at a hug. Reisuke let out a cheer of absolute joy, and it broke Yukiteru's small heart to know that such a simple thing was worth so much joy to the neglected child. He briefly returned the hug before ushering the toddler down the aisle and encouraging him to take the time to pick out his perfect piece of candy while Yukiteru picked up the things on the shopping list.

With a promise to absolutely not leave the aisle; Reisuke bounced away to study his vast options. Yukiteru watched him go, biting his lip a little in worry, maybe it was a mistake to leave the child without supervision...even if it was only for a minute.

Yukiteru shook his head. This store was incredibly small, no bigger than a gas station really, he would be able to see if someone tried to take off with Reisuke. With a renewed sense of comfort he set off the pick up the necessary groceries.

It was around the time he stopped to observe the displayed apples when he heard the sliding doors open again. Yukiteru glanced up to see a head of pink hair walk through.

A shiver run down his spine again, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. Maybe he was standing too close to an air vent?

Yukiteru forced himself to look back at the apples; it wasn't likely that Reisuke would be attacked by the pinkette girl. He picked up one of the bright red fruits and studied it for any sign of bruises. Satisfied, he placed the apple in the plastic baggy provided next to the stand and moved on to the next piece.

He felt a pair of eyes on him.

He placed another good apple into the baggy and picked up another, studied it, placed it back.

Why were those eyes on him?

He picked up another apple, studied it, and placed it back.

They were still on him.

He picked up another, studied it, placed it in his baggy.

Why were they still on him?

Another apple, studied it, placed it in the baggy.

Why were the staring at him?

Another apple, study it, place it back.

Why were they _still_ watching him?

Another apple, study it, place it in the baggy. That was all the apples he needed for the pie. Reisuke would be happy with pie; right? Yea; Reisuke loved apple pie. This was good. He could move out the way now. The eyes probably just wanted their turn with the apple stand.

Nodding to himself, Yukiteru moved down the next aisle. He passed a tall brunette woman and made his way towards the bread. Absentmindedly grabbing a loaf he made his way into the next aisle. Why were those eyes still on him?

Yukiteru risked a glance over his shoulder, but only the brunette woman was there, too busy on her cellphone trying to confirm they type of bread she needed. He let his eyes roam for a moment, but seeing no one else down he turned back to what he was originally doing. He was just being paranoid.

Picking up the rest of his list as well as the needed ingredients for tonight's dinner; Yukiteru made his way back to the candy. Reisuke had, of course, picked his desired candy (a rather sizable bag of lollipops) by the time he'd finished picking everything up.

Yukiteru smiled and hoisted Reisuke back on his hip. With his basket of groceries on one arm and a child in the other; the babysitter made his way to the checkout line. Reisuke had decided that this would be an opportune time to steal Yukiteru's tan beanie on shove it over his froggie hood. Yukiteru's smile grew and her grabbed the beanie and pretended to steal it back. Reisuke grabbed the hat again and they ended up in a mini tug-of-war. It was almost enough to distract him from the feeling of eyes on his back.

When their turn at the register came Yukiteru had to place Reisuke down and help unload their items. It didn't take long for the rather board looking cashier to ring up the purchases and send the two on their merry way.

It wasn't fast enough.

Yukiteru grabbed his umbrella from the rack, swung Reisuke onto his hip, settled his grocery bags into the nook of his elbows, and made his way out into the rainstorm. All with the feeling of those eyes boring into his back.

It was almost a relief to step into the cold rain. He turned down the direction of his home and began walking. He pulled Reisuke and the groceries closer to himself to keep them from getting wet.

The walk was peaceful from thanonout. He was able to get home and reach the front porch with the only wet casualty being his beanie. He'd been forced at this point to hand the umbrella over to Reisuke in order to fish around his pockets and find his house key. Maybe it was time to consider a keychain?

He fiddled with the lock for a moment before the door opened. As soon as he flicked the lightswitch Reisuke hopped down from his hip and raced towards the nearest TV. The house was soon flooded with the sound of the science channel and explanations on the dangers of blindly mixing bases and acids. And if Yukiteru decided to ignore the sounds of snickering and a whisper of "poor stupid monkeys;" than that was no one's business but his own.

Using his foot to swing the door closed; Yukiteru made a beeline for the kitchen. Beef stew sounded really good right now.

"I'll start dinner now Reisuke." He called.

"'Kay." The snickering child answered; the TV produced what sounded like some rather painful dying breaths while a monotone scientist explained some toxic gas. Yukiteru chose this moment to start searching for the soup pot.

It didn't take long to find the right pot. He placed the pot carefully on the counter and reached over to flick the stove on. Maybe he should start his homework now too? No; he wait til he prepared the ingredients before starting his math problems. Those potatoes weren't going to cut themselves, and there was no way he was letting Reisuke around the knives.

It was almost therapeutic for him, chopping meat and vegetables, enough for him to almost put his worries out of his mind. He slid the now dried ingredients into the pot and grabbed the flour necessary for the stew.

And that's when he felt the eyes..

Yukiteru jumped again, almost stabbing him finger in the process, and snapped up his head. Someone turned a corner on the street.

There he goes being too paranoid again.

He forced himself to take another calming breath. There was no need to freak out; he was probably just imagining it. He needed to get the preparations for dinner ready. With a mix of sauces and a few good herbs then he'd be able to let the pot sit for a bit and start his homework. Yukiteru fumbled around the kitchen and reached for the cabinet holding the items he needed. He'd just mix them in and start up algebra.

"Reisuke! Have you started your homework?" Yukiteru called as he added the last of the spices. The sound of a muffled "Yes" sounded from the livingroom.

"Bring it in here and let me see it!" The child usually had his homework done before the end of Aftercare, but sometimes the four year old found the work too easy and left it untouched out of pure boredom. Yukiteru was not going to show up for another conference with the teacher, not after he barely squeaked by with an excuse of the parents being out of town on business. He'd had to call his mother home for that meeting and it was one step away from becoming an unbearably awkward situation.

Reisuke, thankfully, was pretty obedient to Yukiteru and soon came shuffling into the kitchen with his backpack. He switched on the opened his back and pulled out some neatly filed paper along with his signed agenda before making his way right back to the television to watch what looked like a rather painful acid bath. Yukiteru glanced through the work before deciding that, yes, Reisuke had been telling the truth and placing the homework back in the schoolbag.

He pulled out his own schoolbag and decided that, yes, it's time to start his homework and prove to Reisuke he wasn't being a hypocrite just now. He sat down, keeping in mind to take breaks to make the stew, and pulled out the dreaded math. Taking a last glance out the window and seeing nothing there he began the long journey through homework.

He wasn't able to type in his diary today; he should catch up on that soon.

"Do the math, Yukiteru." He mumbled to himself. He could focus on catching up on the diary entries when he was done. He memorized the times; he wasn't going to forget just because he put it off for awhile.

With a few breaks to steer the stew and a few more breaks to check on just _what_ Reisuke was laughing so hard about Yukiteru was able to, eventually, finish the dreaded homework. Just in time for the stew to be half done at that.

Yukiteru, with considerably less care than he had given Reisuke's homework, shoved all the papers pack into his folder and dropped it into the bag. He immediately pulled out his prized cellphone to catch up on the dairy he'd neglected today.

Form across the way a young girl stared at the boy through the window; a smile painted on her rather pretty face.


	2. Chapter 2

Reisuke's parents never showed up that night.

It had been hard for Yukiteru to distract Reisuke from once again coming to the crushing realization that his parents were too busy with the Omekata cult to bother with their only child. Fortunately, Reisuke had a natural weakness for apple pie and Yukiteru's apple pie in particular. Add in some ice cream and letting the boy sit on his lap while watching a rather violent biopunk movie and the boy was too distracted to notice. Add in a few rounds of hide-and-seek and the child had all but forgotten his neglectful family.

A warm bubble bath and one bedtime story later the four year old was safely tucked into the guest room bed (too littered with toys and personal objects to be anything but Reisuke's room now). Yukiteru let himself fall on his bed and rolled around until he was cocooned in the blankets. It was funny how little things like this made him feel safe.

He flipped open his cellphone and started typing.

Five more days and mom would be home for awhile. Maybe he should plan something special for the occasion? Though his budget was running dry now, and Reisuke's parents forgot to pay for his babysitting services again. Mom would likely leave him budget money again, but there was always a bit of doubt in his mind that'd it be enough. He was constantly filled with fear that some accident would happen or some surprize Aftercare cost increase would happen and he wouldn't be able to pay. Maybe it was time to ask Mom about her bank account information? But what if she said no?

Yukiteru bit his lip and huddled into his blanket. He couldn't get a part-time job; not with Reisuke to look after.

Maybe it was time to call child services?

Yukiteru's bite became rather painful to his lip and the grip on his phone tightened. Images of a crying child being forced into some strangers car and driven away to some strange foster home where he wasn't wanted flooded the brunette's mind. He couldn't do that to Reisuke.

But what if he was taken in by a loving family?

But what if he wasn't?

Yukiteru pulled the blanket tighter around himself and began furiously typing in his diary. Maybe it was time to talk to his mom about this? He was running out of excuses to feed her when she visited and he's absolutely sure that she was catching on to the fact that Reisuke had been practically living in her house for some time now. His budget money hadn't been going to her son's freetime, after all, and she had started to notice the lack of new possessions or news on outings with friends. Yes; it was probably time to come clean about the fact that he'd basically done all but outright legally adopted Reisuke.

He flipped his phone closed and turned to stare out the window.

A shadow figure was standing out there; staring straight into his window.

Yukiteru reached up and snatched the blinds closed. It wouldn't be long now…

He pushed the volume on his cellphone down. Once the phone had been set to 'Silent Mode' he set the beloved possession on the edge of the windowstill and waited. Soon the screen lit up; proudly proclaiming an incoming call. Yukiteru didn't bother to answer; he knew there would be nothing there but the sound of breathing and girlish giggles if he did.

He turned over and curled into himself. Closing his eyes closed he tried to force himself into something resembling sleep. But it was hard when he knew that she was still out there. Staring. Waiting. Just standing there watching his window for any sign of movement. She'd probably leave at some point to get some sleep of her own, but he could never be too sure. There were some nights when she didn't leave until dawn.

He didn't know who she was. He didn't know why she was doing this. But it scared him. It scared him to his very core.

He's sure she attacked someone once. Some jerk who stole his his cash when he was running late to pick up Reisuke; he'd cut through a back alley like an idiot and got mugged for his trouble. He handed over the cash without trouble and ran off, but heard the man's screams not long after. He'd reported the incident, but with no identity or description to give and no proof to provide the police hadn't been very believing.

But he never could forget the sound of those screams.

He tried reporting her, but she was crafty and made sure to skip out on the nights following. This left him with disbelieving officers who figured he was just a paranoid kid looking for attention. It didn't help that, almost as soon as the officers stopped supervising his house, she renewed her effort with vigor. She'd even somehow found his number.

Yukiteru felt a sickness spread through his stomach. What did she even want with a pathetic person like him?

He shifted again; trying to find a comfortable position to help him sleep. Maybe he should join Reisuke in the guestroom tonight? Or sleep in Mom's room?

He bit his lip again. No; it wouldn't help to sleep in Mom's room and he didn't want to risk waking Reisuke. He'd try to tuck in with Reisuke tomorrow night, but for now he'd just have to try and find a way to sleep here.

He risked a glance at his cellphone. The screen displaying yet another incoming call.

Yukiteru suddenly felt like he couldn't hold his food down. Kicking the blankets of himself, he slid off the bed and made his way towards the bathroom. He was careful not to flick any lights one until he reached the room; just in case she was still watching for signs of wakefulness. Even then he closed the bathroom door and locked it before he even risked flicking on the light. The withdrawn boy kneeled in front of the toilet and promptly vomited his dinner.

When he'd been reduced to nothing but a few dry heaves and the taste of bile in his mouth he figured it was safe to stand up again. Taking a moment to rest his head against the seat of the toilet and taking rather deeping calming breaths he reached up and flushed the wasted dinner. It was only when the sound of flushing was done that he risked standing up and walking to the sink.

He tried not to catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror. A hard task to begin with and one he failed. He ignored his haggard and tired appearance to grab the hot water faucet and turn it completely on; leaving the cold faucet completely untouched. He grabbed the washcloth they'd used earlier and made an attempt at cleaning his face. Next he grabbed the toothbrush and washed the taste of bile out his mouth.

Having clean himself Yukiteru knew that it was now time to face the worst part: going back to his room.

Making sure to flip the light off first the boy made the way out the bathroom and navigated the dark hallway until he reached his bedroom door; nervously jumping at every creak and sound. With, perhaps, more caution than was needed Yukiteru carefully opened the door and tiptoed inside the room. He made his way over to the bed, silently as possible, and grabbed the blanket. He threw the giant piece of fabric around his shoulders like some kind of cape before spinning around and purposely tripping himself back on the bed.

Curling up into himself Yukiteru closed his eyes tightly and tried to pretend he was asleep. Maybe if he layed there long enough he could eventually fool himself into actually believing he was dreaming.

Five more days until Mom came home.

Two more days until his book report was due.

He needed to pay for Reisuke's Afterschool care soon.

He hoped he could avoid Kosaka Ouji at school tomorrow.

What he really needed to do was relax. All this worrying wasn't going to help him sleep anytime soon. He should focus on something less stressful. Maybe he could take a break and eat leftovers for dinner tomorrow? Reisuke wouldn't mind.

Was Reisuke making friends at school? The ginger never mentioned anything about his classmate other than how slow they were. Maybe he should take him to a park? There had to be something he could do to help the child develop healthy social relationships with his classmates. Maybe some kind of special club for young children interested in science?

Was she still out there?

Maybe he could risk splurging a little money to buy Reisuke the sentai action figures he wanted. The ones from that popular series with lead actor Hirasaka Yomotsu. That show was one of the few childlike things Reisuke enjoyed and could actually talk about with other kids; maybe he'd be able to connect with his classmates that way. If Yukiteru packed his own lunch for the next few days and made a few cuts to his next grocery run he should be able to squeak by with buying the full set.

Yukiteru made a mental note to stop by a toy store tomorrow.

Maybe he should also cut his shower time down as well. That should save enough money to spend on some science books as well. Reisuke was always excited for new science related subjects; especially in toxicology and biomechanics. Half of the child's bedtime stories came straight out of those books (the other half being actual children's books). Yukiteru would be lying if he said he understood half of what he was reading, but as long as Reisuke grew up somewhat well developed than Yukiteru didn't see a problem.

Maybe he should get himself something? He found himself almost unwillingly fond of Murakami Haruki; have read through some of his works whenever he was dragged into the bookstore boy Reisuke only for the child to get distracted by the toy trains set up in the kid's section. Maybe it would be alright to trying reading a little more; it was sure to get him into less trouble than…

Yukiteru opened his eyes and threw a glance at his cellphone. The screen was no longer alight with frequent incoming call, but he knew that the moment he check his screen would display the number of missed calls. It was violating to think that his only safe haven, the diary he kept on the phone, had been forcibly ripped from his so easily.

He turned back over and forced himself to stare at into the darkness. When had the dark become more comforting that moonlight and stars? He knew the answer, but it was hard to swallow.

What time was it? When would it be morning?

Yukiteru closed his eyes again and tried counting. That was supposed to help right? Maybe he should try one of those herbal nighttime teas tomorrow? He'd skip buying the books. He didn't particularly enjoy reading for fun anyway.

He threw the blanket how his head and curled backed himself against the wall; hoping he hadn't disturbed the blinds and altered the girl outside to her presence. He should check the time, but he didn't want to switch on the lights or check his cellphone. Maybe he should've replaced his alarm clock instead of just using his cellphones.

Yukiteru's eyes snapped open. He had to turn the sound back on if he wanted the alarm clock to alert him when it became time to wake up. With a sudden feeling of dread and a clenched stomach he uncurled himself and crawled from underneath the covers. He glanced towards his phone screen to see it once again announcing an incoming call; so he had disturbed the curtains.

Yukiteru tentatively reached over and picked up the phone. He pressed 'Ignore Call' and felt his stomach drop at the amount of calls the screen claimed he missed. Feeling like a man being escorted to death he turned the volume of the phone up enough for him to hear from it's place on the windowsill.

His lullaby that night was the sound of ringing and the pitter-patter of rain.


	3. Chapter 3

When his alarm finally sounded Yukiteru rolled out of bed with one part relief, one part exhaustion, one part fear, and absolutely no part well rested. He dragged himself towards the closet and put together a random outfit before making his way out of the room and towards the bathroom.

When he was done with his morning ritual and fully dressed he made his way towards Reisuke's room and woke the boy. Helping the child pick out his outfit for the day he ussured the child towards the bathroom. He then descended the stairs to prepare their daily breakfast of cereal.

Breakfast ended without any drama and they were out the door. Luckily today was sunny and the ground was only a little wet from the rain. This meant Yukiteru could both hold Reisuke's hand and keep up with his diary on time while they walked to school.

Thankfully the mornings were the easiest part of Yukiteru's day. After dropping off Reisuke he strolled down the path to his own school. It wouldn't be until then that it would all go downhill.

Yukiteru was not what one would call a 'sociable' person. He prefered to keep to himself, not necessarily because he disliked or was annoyed by his classmates, but rather because he didn't want to impose himself on them. He was a rather pathetic person, you see, and didn't want to bother the other student's with his presence. Thus, he existed more as an observer than an active part of his school's social circles.

That said; Yukiteru didn't actually try to avoid talking to his classmates. He simply felt that if they wanted to talk to him then they would. It would be a lie to say he didn't actually want to be friends with his classmate, but he also didn't want to risk annoying his fellow students with his presence and making them hate him.

In all honesty; he considered himself quite lucky that Reisuke seemed to love him so much. He couldn't think of anyone else besides his mother that reacted favorably to his presence. So he must, in conclusion, have something wrong with him if only two people, one of which was only a child who didn't know better and the other of which was his mother, in the world were capable of loving him.

So it was with the smallest feeling of dread that he entered the school building and made his way towards his classroom.

He couldn't say there was anything interesting about his day. Kosaka threw a paper ball at him once or twice before promptly giving up his adventure for fear of being caught by the teacher. He thought he caught a glimpse of Gasai Yuno glancing back at him once or twice before brushing it off as a coincidence. Mr. Hiyama announced a test to take place this time next week. He received constant reminders that the book report was due tomorrow. And those were honestly the highlights of his day.

It wasn't until later that he somehow managed to accidently catch Mr. Hiyama's eye.

You see, Mr. Hiyama was a nice enough teacher. As long as you payed attention in his class and didn't slack off he wasn't really bond to take much note of you. When one did slack off he was usually fair enough with the punishments and none too harsh. Yukiteru had never done anything to catch the man's notice himself, but he saw no reason for the somewhat fearsome reputation as a "hardass". So Yukiteru was surprised when Mr. Hiyama asked him to stay after class today.

When class did let out Yukiteru could hear Kosaka's snickering despite the bell. But he didn't let that distract him from keeping his attention strictly on the teacher. "Have I done something wrong Sensei?"

Mr. Hiyama gave what he must have thought was a reassuring smile. "No Mr. Amano."

Unfortunately, the teacher didn't elaborate on the reason for keeping him here after school. He and Yukiteru both stood there for several, rather awkward in his opinion, moments and just stared at one another. The brunette shifted awkwardly under his teacher's heavy gaze.

"Then...um…" The boy stuttered; already feeling an embarrassed blush forming. "...What did you need with me, Sir?"

The teacher stared at him a moment, as if carefully choosing his words, before speaking. "Your attention has been wandering lately Mr. Amano. Why is that?"

Yukiteru felt a jolt. He was stuck somewhere between being honestly surprised the older man even noticed his existence beyond grading papers and being outrageously embarrassed for distracting the teacher so much.

"I-I'm so sorry, Sir!" He bowed his head half in apology and half in shame. "I haven't been getting much sleep lately and I'm so sorry. It won't happen again, Sir. I promise."

The man seemed disinterested in the apology. "Are things alright at home Mr. Amano?"

Yukiteru was taken aback by the question. "Um...yes...things are fine at home."

"Really?" The man quirked an eyebrow; as if not believing the boy's claim. "Your mother and father aren't fighting? No late night arguments to keep you up?"

Yukiteru frowned at the question. "No...my father doesn't even live with us."

Mr. Hiyama nodded; with a look on his face that implied he was storing that information away for later use. "And your mother?"

The burnette's frown deepened and he suddenly felt uneasy with the question. "She's away at the moment…"

"Really?" The teacher sounded suddenly very eager to hear more. "So you're living alone than?"

Yukiteru felt the unease raise, but brushed it off as paranoia. "No...I'm living with...with my little brother."

He felt a little guilty at the lie, but it was as close to the truth as he could get without explaining the entire situation to his teacher.

Mr. Hiyama looked no more displeased by the information than he had by the idea that Mom was away at the moment. Yukiteru decided he did not like that look.

"So…" The man started, pausing to give a needlessly dramatic effect to his words. "...You're a social outcast living alone with no one but you're little brother at the moment?"

A lump formed in Yukiteru's throat. He's sure that Mr. Hiyama hadn't meant those words to be as harsh and hurtful as they sounded. He forcefully swallowed down the lump and nodded his head.

Mr. Hiyama suddenly turned on his heel and made his way towards the door. "That's all I wanted to know Mr. Amano; you may leave now."

And then he was alone is the now abandoned classroom of the slowly emptying school. Yukiteru, still very uneasy with the conversation that had just taken place, took a very tentative step forward. Once he was sure that, yes, that entire ordeal had just happened and he was now standing alone he maneuvered his way out of the door and down the hallway. Making extra sure to duck past any students still crowded around the hallways.

He very lucky today; since it looked like Kosaka and his friends had a track meet today. This meant that the bully would have no time to harass the timid natured boy on his way to Reisuke's Preschool. Though Kosaka had always abandoned his pursuit once the school was in sight it was a nice change to simply walk where he needed and record in his diary undisturbed.

Yukiteru settled in the same spot he'd been standing yesterday and waited the ten or so minutes it would take for Reisuke to be released from Aftercare. The hedges looked better today than they had yesterday; granted they were still somewhat wet from the horrid weather. Those hedges shifted a bit and he pretended not to notice.

The wait wasn't as agonizing as it had been the day before, and Reisuke had been twice as quick to throw himself into a hug. Yukiteru summoned up a smile and pat the young boy's head before guiding him along the path to the markets.

Reisuke frowned and sent him a look of confusion. "Where we goin?"

"The toy store." Yukiteru flipped his phone open absentmindedly. He felt much more at ease than yesterday when he'd been forced to go without it.

"YAY!" The child gave a loud cheer; throwing his arms in the air to emphasize just how happy he was with the idea. "Yuki is the beeessstt~"

Yukiteru was ninety-eight percent sure that Reisuke had said that last part in order to emotionally manipulate the teenager into buying him a toy rather than just staring at them. If that was what the kid was going for than Yukiteru would unashamedly admit that the tactic had succeeded.

It was a precisely twenty minute walk to the nearest toy store from the Preschool, and Reisuke had spent the entire time tugging Yukiteru's pants leg trying to desperately make his babysitter move faster. But Yukiteru was simply too tired to move any faster than his normal leisurely pace. By the time they reached the toy store Reisuke had practically thrown himself through the doors.

"Don't run off Reisuke! Stay where I can see you!" He called after the boy. Though the store wasn't big at all it was filled to the brim with all the latest, and quite a bit of the not-so-latest, toys and it became really easy to lose track of someone as small as Reisuke here.

Once he had Reisuke back in sight he settled on a nearby chair and flipped opened his schoolbag to get some work done. With one eye on Reisuke and the other on history text; Yukiteru began what would probably be his ritual for the next hour.

Once homework for history had been finished Yukiteru set out on his mission to grab the sentai toys and somehow convince Reisuke that, yes, it was time to get out of the store.

Somehow managing to pay for the toys without Reisuke wrestling them from him and leave the store with only mild protest Yukiteru was honestly able to say that this had been a very successful, if somewhat draining, trip. Overall it had been a good day and he was eager to get home and relax for a bit.

He wouldn't have been as eager if he hadn't noticed someone following them on the way.

Now, Yukiteru had grown very familiar with the sensation of being followed. It wasn't a pleasant thing, but he had grown used to it and adapted to way of ignoring it while out in public. What he hadn't grown used to, however, was Reisuke taking notice as well and gripping his hand much tighter than was normal for the child.

This was when Yukiteru had realized that he couldn't really hide the situation from Reisuke for much longer. So, with a great deal of reluctance, Yukiteru lead Reisuke around the nearest corner and stopped.

He had assumed it would be the same girl that stood outside his house at night and frantically called him. It was a logical assumption to make, after all. Who else would have been following them?

It wasn't until a rather large man in a trenchcoat rounded the corner that Yukiteru remember that there'd been a serial killer going around and he'd just stopped Reisuke in the middle of an abandoned street with no one but Yukiteru there to watch him.

So when the timid boy saw that, yes, the man was carrying a large weapon that would be just perfect for cutting down high schoolers and their small sorta kid-brothers he decided that it was time to gather up the small boy in his arms and make a break for it.

Of course, it was too much to hope the killer just decided it was too much trouble to chase the student down. So Yukiteru wasn't surprised at all when he heard the heavy footsteps behind him. He tightened his hold on Reisuke and forcibly buried the small boy's face into his chest; trying desperately to keep him from looking over the teen's shoulder and seeing a raving lunatic waving a weapon behind them.

Yukiteru let out a scream; desperately hopping to alert someone to the fact that they were being hunted down. But it seemed that they were well and truly alone. The only thing he succeeded in doing was startling Reisuke and causing the young boy to squirm in his arms.

Yukiteru made his way into what looked like an abandoned building; somewhat cursing himself for making such a cliched horror movie mistake but also seeing no choice in the matter.

Trying to balance Reisuke and carrying the weight of his schoolbag was absolutely horrible for the normally inactive boy, and it was at this horrible moment that he realized he was becoming too tired to run. Yukiteru ducked past another corner and spotted an elevator; deciding to take a leap of faith he made his way towards it and slammed his hand on the button.

Fortunately, fate seemed to be on his side at the moment because the doors opened instantly. Yukiteru slid past the barely opened doors and hit the 'Close doors' button just in time to see the killer round the corner. He hit a random number and the elevator ascended.

Yukiteru took this opportunity to catch his breath. A horrible mistake on his part because the adrenaline that had been coursing through him and keeping him going had decided to slowly leave his system. Now all the running he'd done was catching up to him and he could feel a sharp, freezing, pain in his lungs.

The doors let out a small ding and Yukiteru wasted no time running again. Ducking past the corners of the hallways and making his way as far from the elevator as he could. In a feat of athleticism that Kosaka would probably have been proud of; Yukiteru made it all the way to the other side of the building and to the stairs before he even knew what he was really doing.

That was when two arms decided to grab him and drag him under the stairwell.

Yukiteru tried to scream, but a hand very quickly covered his mouth. Reisuke had managed to look over his shoulder at this point and somehow remained impressively silent despite the obvious distress his babysitter was in. Yukiteru would later question why the child had been so stone cold, but for now his only thought had been to get away.

The arms surrounding him and Reisuke tightened and the hand over his mouth remain absolutely unmoving. He was pulled closer to however was holding him until he was practically glued to the the front of their chest.

"Shhh." A voice whispered into his ear. "We'll get caught if you don't calm down."

That made him stop.

Now Yukiteru was a lot of things. A coward, a loser, a self-pitying teen with the self confidence of a lump of loose concrete. But if there was one thing he wasn't it was someone completely bereft of some common sense. Objectively speaking, Yukiteru knew that this guy wasn't the killer. He wasn't tall or wide enough, for one, and he can't imagine the killer would try to hide with them under a stairwell instead of immediately killing them for second (although he could've been toying with the teen, but point one still stands). This did not, however, calm Yukiteru down at all. Because while it sounded like this guy was a good samaritan here to help the young boy and the toddler; Yukiteru couldn't help but be suspicious about just what this guy was doing here in the first place and how he knew about the killer being here.

Yukiteru became somewhat distracted from his thoughts when an inhuman shriek of rage sounded from the floor above them. Followed by a grunt of pain and the sound of heavy footsteps running away. A second pair of footsteps following from behind. Strangely, it sounded like it was the killer who was running away.

There were a few tense, painfully silent, moments that passed by before he was seemingly released. He fell forward a bit, Reisuke still clutched protectively in his arms, and turned his teary eyes towards his savior-of-sorts.

He...didn't look normal.

That wasn't to say he looked bad or weird or anything! It was just...he didn't look like a normal person would.

There were all sorts of people in the world. Blue haired boys and red eyed girls. Anything from black to white for hair and just as many colored eyes. Even the school idol, Gasai Yuno, supported a head of naturally bubblegum pink hair with eyes to match. That was just the kind of world Yukiteru lived in.

This guy, somehow, looked strange despite this.

It wasn't the silvery-white hair, or the red eyes. It wasn't the strangely creamy-pale skin either. There was just something about him that didn't seem like it fit in; like he was sculpted from marble and lightly painted over in order to add some color.

It looked like the guy was using the time Yukiteru was observing him to also study the highschooler himself. A smirk spread across his thin lips and Yukiteru felt a strange sense of reassurance wash over him. There was just something about that expression that felt safe; like this guy knew exactly what he was doing and just how everything was going to turn out and it was all going just the way he wanted it to.

The guy abruptly stood up and held out a hand toward the, still slightly quivering, schoolboy. Yukiteru stared into wine colored eyes in confusion; then realized that the guy was trying to help him up. He hesitantly reached out and grabbed the offered hand, flinching only a little when those pale fingers closed around his hand, and let himself be pulled to his feet.

"That was rather close." The white-haired boy started. He stuffed his hands into his pocket and strolled over to peer around the corner of the staircase. "I don't hear anything. He must have been caught."

Reisuke made a questioning noise. Yukiteru tightened his hold on the boy and shooed him. He was still on edge and not at all sure how to react to anything. And the guy's absolutely gleeful expression didn't help Yukiteru's nevers at all.

The boy twirled on his heel and faced the two; his smirk still present and eyes basically shining. He looked a bit like he was the cat who caught the canary; only the canary had also came with a gift wrapped box of catnip and a lifetime supply of treats. "Now who could scare off a hardened killer? I wonder…"

A slim hand reached up and stroked his chin. The boy looked lost in thought for a moment, but his red eyes soon wandered back towards Yukiteru's own blue ones. The boy seemed to have a sudden empathy, and the smirk somehow deepened.

"My name is Akise. Akise Aru; boy detective!" He held out his hand towards Yukiteru.

Yukiteru was about to reach out and politely shake the apparent detective's hand, but Reisuke let out a sudden squeal of delight. Yukiteru jerked back in shock and stared down at the boy wiggling in his arms.

Reisuke, who practically had stars in his eyes, manouvered his way out of the teen's arms and landed on the floor with a small thud. He immediately threw open his backpack and began digging through various papers. Once he was done searching he pulled out what seemed to be an older news printout; the headline displaying that a killer had been captured.

"Reisuke!" He gasped; trying his best to snatch the papers from the child and failing when they were quickly pulled away. "I thought I'd confiscated things like this from you!"

Akise, who'd been watching the two with no small amount of amusement, reached down a easily grabbed the paper from the child's hands. Taking a small moment to read over it he moved his gaze to the toddler. "Ah, yes. The Okuranba Street Case. I have fond memories."

Reisuke pulled a marker from his bag and held it out to the detective.

The detective seemed to think it best not to question why a four-year-old was reading up on murders and simply reached to take the marker. With a few small flicks of the wrist and finishing flourish; Akise signed the paper in the most needlessly dramatic fashion possible. Probably to further entertain Reisuke and keep the boy's mind off the fact that they'd almost been murdered themselves.

The detective handed the child his autograph. Now it was Reisuke's turn to look like he'd caught the canary.

With the child firmly distracted; Akise turned back to Yukiteru. "And what would your name be?"

Yukiteru blinked for a moment; almost unsure if he'd heard right. "Um...A-Amano. Amano Yukiteru. And he's Houjou Reisuke."

"Amano Yukiteru." The detective tested. He looked distracted, and sent an uncomfortable amount of time staring into the timid boy's eyes. He seemed lost in thought again, but what he could be thinking was beyond Yukiteru.

The detective suddenly shot his hand back towards the brunette. "It's nice to meet you Yuki~"

Yukiteru blinked in confusion at the overly familiar way the boy addressed him. Nevertheless, he took the others hand.

There was that pleased look again.

"Now…" The detective began; placing his other hand over the one he was already holding. "While I do have a killer to track...it wouldn't be professional to let you walk home unescorted."

Yukiteru blinked again; having almost forgotten about the killer in the face of this strangeness. But now he could feel the fear creeping back up his spine. Suddenly, the other boy's company seemed very welcoming. Yukiteru, almost unconsciously, nodded his agreement with the boy.

The detective's smirk somehow became deeper. He removed one of his hands and pulled the brunette closer to himself. The albino then seemed to remember that Reisuke was there and turned to hold his other hand out towards the ginger child.

Reisuke, who had been glancing between the two older boys, gave one of his 'I figured this all out and know everything' looks to the detective. The young boy gave one of his own, rather intimidating for a four-year-old, smirks.

There seemed to be some silent communication going on that was completely lost on Yukiteru. Akise and Reisuke just stared at one another with those smirks; then he reached down and grabbed the bag of toys Reisuke had somehow held onto throughout the chace and place the bag in the nook of his arm. He then let go of Yukiteru's hand, grabbed the toddler, and gently swung the child onto his shoulder.

"Ready to go, Yukiteru?" Akise asked. It probably would have sounded more like an actual question if he hadn't made extra sure to grab the brunette's hand again and tug it a bit. With about as much confusion and only slightly less terror than he'd entered the building with he took a step forward.

And then they were walking.

The detective hummed a bit as he lead Yukiteru down the stairs. He really was way too happy for a guy that'd been, apparently, tracking down a killer. Everything about his just seemed way too excited for all this mess. And that wasn't even going into how informal he was with a guy he'd just met.

It was then and there that Yukiteru, fourteen-year-old highschool student, diary keeper, babysitter and pathetic loner, decided that Akise Aru was a complete weirdo.

* * *

 _A/N: So I wanted to highlight a few things._

 _1) Yukiteru is an (canon) expy of Shinji Ikari. So it stands to reason that he suffers from so of the same problems as Shinji. EX: The hedgehogs dilemma, self-hate, social anxiety. Since Yuki was based off Shinji I ended up giving him the same characterization.  
_

 _2) Reisuke is still a child. An amazingly smart, somewhat sociopath ridden, child. But he's still a child. He's going to understand a lot, but not right away. He's not going to know about the stalker because it was hidden from him and didn't know any better._

 _3) Akise (ironically an expy of Kaworu Nagisa) canonically fell in love with Yukiteru at first sight. So he does the same thing here; I'm not sorry._


End file.
